51ºÚÁÏ

Using images created for the children’s biography written about Tom Crean, titled ‘Tom The Mighty Explorer’, this colouring book with 8 illustrations, is, primarily, for me, as someone with a wish to raise awareness of Tom Crean’s story among children, an effective method of introducing children to his amazing life. The book also helps them to become familiar with his early life and the time he spent in Antarctica. Colouring books are an effective means of developing their hand-eye coordination and are a relaxing experience that allows children time out from the digital world that surrounds them. Colouring also gives a child a great sense of achievement and pride in creating their own piece of art. I hope you find this a useful classroom resource and please take a little time out to add a review.

In the heroic age of Antarctic exploration in the early 20th Century, explorers would express themselves on a flag tied to their sledges. The designs sometimes included a motto that expressed their own philosophies and the colours would perhaps signify their country of birth and their own artistic preferences. This sledging flag, the template of which was created by Ciarán Wright Drinnon, the Editor in Chief of an upcoming magazine publication titled the ‘New Polar Times’ , is one I used in an exercise with teenage SEND classes I work with and it proved to be a really popular, successful and enjoyable task for the students. It’s a great task for primary school children also and it allows them an opportunity to express themselves through colour, design and words. The Tom Crean connection to this exercise, stems from his own sledging flag of the Irish Ensign, which he flew on his sledge during his first expedition to Antarctica in 1901 aboard RRS Discovery. If you do share this with others via social media, articles or on a website, I would appreciate it if you were to credit The New Polar Times and Tom Crean Learning Resources.